Scuba Divers Locate Wreck of World War II Luftwaffe
The wreck of the huge Second World War Luftwaffe transport plane has recently been discovered off the coast of Sardinia in Italy by a team of Italian researchers. The plane was found by accident while the researchers were looking for another plane during a recent wreck diving excursion.
The massive aircraft was designed to carry tanks and artillery into battle and it is believed to be the only surviving example of the Messerschmitt 323 'Giant'. On 26th July, 1943 the plane was shot down by a Bristol Beaufighter long-range fighter plane as it made its way from a German Base in Sardinia to the Tuscan city of Pistoia. The Me-323 crashed into the sea close to the Maddalena islands and the wreck was discovered 200 feet deep by the team of researchers led by Cristina Freghieri, a scuba diver enthusiast and amateur historian.
'It was just by chance that we found it because we were actually looking for a different plane wreck,' explained Aldo Ferrucci, a diving instructor and photographer who took pictures of the wreck. 'We had understood that the Me-323 was in a totally different location so we were lucky to stumble on it. It is in good condition - it is almost intact, with the six engines still all in line.'
Initially, the wreck was located eight miles off the coast using a wire-guided camera and the team then headed off on a scuba diving trip to identify it. 'It was a pure emotional charge to suddenly see the aircraft in the veiled blue of the sea. First we saw a piece of sheet metal, then another, until the plane appeared in all its beauty. My heart skipped a beat,' Ms Freghieri commented.
She added: 'Until now, no Me-323 had survived from the war, which makes this discovery of great historical importance.' Italy's coastline is one of the most popular scuba diving destinations in the Mediterranean and the waters are teeming with hundred of shipwrecks to explore.
Several new wrecks and treasures have been located in or near Italy this year and they are expected to encourage more divers to go for scuba diving holidays in the region. These include the ancient bronze sculpture of a lion's head and a full suit of armour that were found off the coast of Calabria this summer; the wreck of the Corazzata Roma, the flagship of the Italian navy, which was found near Sardinia; and two Roman-era ships that were discovered in the waters between Greece and Italy earlier this year.